Dark Destroyer Chronicles: A Song of Storms
by Kumo no Shinigami
Summary: After the Kyubi is sealed by the Yondaime, Akatsuki decides to enact their plans early. The consequences of that decision go deeper than anybody could possibly imagine, and for better or worse, the fate of the world is changed forever. Alternate Universe.
1. A Time For Mourning

Okay, a quick note before we begin. If you're not a fan of Naruto being super strong, turn back now. This story is not for you. Or, give it a try. Maybe you'll like it.

That said, ages will be slightly tweaked around a bit. For example, Itachi is 11 at the time of the Kyubi attack. I won't do that with too many characters, though. But the Genin exams will take place at age 14 instead of 12.

I don't own Naruto or anything else that may appear in this story.

Chapter One: A Time for Mourning

The battlefield was silent. There was a flash of light, and the beast vanished, and they cheered for their victory. Their leader turned to face them from atop the great toad, Gamabunta, a small sad smile on his face as he gazed down gently, almost lovingly, at the small bundle in his arms. Then he closed his eyes, and he fell from Gamabunta's head, and the cheering turned to shouts of concern. Gamabunta caught him as he fell, lowering him gently to the ground.

They surrounded their leader, looks of shock, fear, and pain upon their faces. One of them, a young boy in his teens with spiky silver hair, pushed to the front, his eyes widening as he saw the man on the ground. He ran forward, kneeling down. "Minato-Sensei! What happened? Are you alright?" the boy asked frantically. The man, called Minato, smiled up at the silver-haired youth, using his remaining strength to lift the bundle up towards the boy. "K-Kakashi-kun…watch over him. His name is Naruto." Minato said weakly. Kakashi accepted the bundle into his arms, and looking down at it, saw a small red haired child with three whisker-like markings on each cheek, sleeping peacefully. He looked back down at his sensei quizzically. "Sensei? Who is he?" Minato closed his eyes once more, a peaceful look overcoming him. "A hero." And with that, he lay still.

Kakashi's eyes widened once more. "S-Sensei?" he spoke quietly, as if frightened. He reached down with a shaking hand, shaking the man's shoulder. But he did not stir. "No," Kakashi whispered, tears springing to his eyes. "No! Sensei!" He collapsed, clinging to the corpse of the man he had loved like a father, and he wept. And the others who had gathered around felt his pain as well, for their leader had been loved by all. They grieved, not only for him, but also for their friends, family, and comrades that had died that night.

An elderly man made his way through the crowd, his sadness just as strong as those around him, and though he wished to grieve like the rest of them, he knew he had to be strong in front of them. There would be time later. This man was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, and Minato's predecessor.

He pushed through to the center of the crowd, and the sight that met his eyes saddened him further. Walking over to the distraught boy, Sarutobi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Kakashi turned to meet his gaze, eyes full of grief. "S-Sarutobi-sama…Sensei is…" Sarutobi nodded sadly. "I know. What of the child?"

Kakashi held the baby boy up slowly, tentatively, as if reluctant to let him out of his grasp. "Sarutobi-sama, who is he? Sensei didn't say. Just that he was a hero." Sarutobi stared down at the child, still sleeping soundly. "That is a question for another time." He answered. "Come." Kakashi nodded, and rose to his feet, wiping the tears from his cheeks. The two of them vanished in a shunshin.

They reappeared in the Hokage's office. Sarutobi snapped his fingers and an ANBU appeared in front of him. "Gather the villagers," Sarutobi said. "I have an announcement to make." The ANBU nodded, and shunshined away.

Twenty minutes later, Sarutobi and Kakashi stood on a balcony overlooking the crowded streets, the entire village gathered below them. The crowd fell silent as Sarutobi prepared to speak. "I am pleased to say that the Kyubi has been defeated." The crowd erupted in cheer, but Sarutobi held up a hand to silence them. "However, this victory has come at a great cost. Many of our shinobi have died this night, along with our beloved Yondaime Hokage, who sacrificed himself to defeat the demon." This was met with cries of disbelief and sadness. "But the Kyubi is not dead. Not even the Yondaime possessed the strength to kill it. Instead, he sealed it away, inside a newborn child, the very one I hold in my arms now." Sarutobi held the boy up so the crowd could see him. For a moment, there was no sound but the rain that had begun to fall.

Then the street below erupted into a cacophony of angry shouts.

"The Kyubi still lives!"

"Kill the demon!"

"Finish it off while it's weak!"

Sarutobi looked down in shame, turning around and walking back inside. "I expected better of you." he said sadly. Meanwhile, Kakashi was rooted to the spot, his eyes wide. '_No…it can't be true! The Kyubi's still alive, and sensei died for nothing!_' His eyes filled with anger, and he jumped away over the rooftops, tears beginning to form once more.

Sarutobi considered going after him, but decided to leave him be for now. He looked down at the child in his arms and sighed. "Let's get you back to your mother." He shunshined to the hospital, and walked up to the receptionist. "Could you tell me which room Uzumaki Kushina is in, please?" The receptionist smiled. "Certainly, Sarutobi-sama. She's in room 302." Sarutobi thanked her and left. He made his way up to the third floor, and quickly found the right room.

As he entered the room, he quickly had to duck a flying bedpan. He looked up to see Kushina glaring at him from her bed. "You bastard! You actually told the whole village what Minato did? If he were here I'd wring both your necks!" Sarutobi looked down. "I apologize. I had no idea that they would react the way they did. I know you must be angry, but-"

"Angry?" Kushina interrupted. "I'm not angry. I was angry when Jiraiya used me in his smut. I was _pissed_ when Minato told me what he planned on doing to Naruto-kun. No, I'm not angry. Right now, I AM FURIOUS!" She screamed.

"Please, Kushina. Try not to exert yourself." Sarutobi said worriedly. "Fuck you." Kushina growled. "Just give me my child and get the hell out." As soon as Kushina had the child in her arms, her eyes lit up, and her face became soft and gentle. She smiled. "My baby." She whispered, holding Naruto close to her. "My son. My Naruto."

As Sarutobi turned to leave, he heard Kushina begin to hum. It was a beautiful tune, haunting and yet happy at the same time. He left, content that Naruto was in good hands.

As he walked down the hallway, Sarutobi was approached by an ANBU, who gave a quick bow before saying, "The council has assembled and is awaiting you, Sarutobi-sama." Sarutobi nodded and shunshined away.

He reappeared outside the council chambers, and hearing shouting from inside, pushed open the doors. As he entered, everybody stopped talking and focused their attention on him. They were silent for a moment, before they all resumed talking at once. "Enough!" Sarutobi yelled. The room descended into silence once more.

"What is the cause of all this commotion?" Sarutobi asked. "Sarutobi-sama, the Kyubi must be destroyed!" shouted one of the civilians. There was a murmur of general agreement. Sarutobi sighed. "The Kyubi has been sealed away. There's nothing more we can do." "We have to kill the container!" Shouted someone else. Sarutobi glared. "You're talking about killing a child. I will not tolerate mention of such things. Do I make myself clear?"

Uchiha Fugaku looked calmly at Sarutobi. "With all due respect, Sarutobi, you are no longer Hokage. It does not matter what you will tolerate." Sarutobi smirked. "That's where you're wrong. It's village policy that if a Hokage dies without appointing a successor, his predecessor shall take his place, assuming his predecessor is still alive of course." Fugaku's eyes narrowed and he nodded. "Regardless, it is in the best interests of the village that the Kyubi be killed once and for all." Spoke Koharu, Sarutobi's former teammate.

"Enough of this foolishness!" exclaimed Shimura Danzo. Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. It was unusual for his old rival to lose his temper like this. "Yondaime-sama has given us a great weapon, and we must utilize it!" continued Danzo. "The container should be trained and used as a weapon for Konoha."

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed. "Absolutely not. I will not have the boy raised as an emotionless tool. Besides, no one can do anything with him without the consent of his mother." Danzo cursed to himself, knowing that his plans had just taken a major blow.

"I am making a new law." Sarutobi stated. "Anyone who mentions the fact that the Kyubi is sealed inside Uzumaki Naruto will be executed immediately." One civilian stood up in outrage, shouting, "You can't do that! The demon brat-" He never finished his sentence as his head was separated from his body, courtesy of an ANBU who had appeared out of the shadows. The rest of the council looked on in shock. Sarutobi leveled a glare at all of them. "No exceptions." With that, he turned and left, striding out of the room and leaving the council stunned.

The reinstated Hokage smirked as he walked down the hallway. His smirk faded as his mind turned to the mountain of paperwork that would surely be waiting for him.

Secret Location

Two figures stood on a balcony at the top of a tower, watching the rain cascade over a large city. One, a man with red hair and gray, rippled eyes, and the other a blue-haired woman with a paper flower in her hair. They wore large black cloaks with red clouds on them.

A man approached them from behind, but they did not turn to meet him. The man spoke, "There has been a change of plans. We will have to move earlier than expected."

"So soon?" The red-haired man asked.

"Yes. The Kyubi is currently defenseless. We do not want to give it time to strengthen. I will retrieve it myself. You worry about the others." The other man replied.

The red-haired man nodded. "It will be done."

"Good." With that, the other man's presence faded away.

The woman looked at her companion. "Nagato, I don't trust him." She said.

"He is a means to an end, Konan. I will dispose of him when the time is right."

Konan looked worried. "Still, I feel as if something bad is coming."

Nagato smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Konan. After all, nothing can stand before the might of God."

Later

Ten figures were gathered in a large room. They all wore the same attire, black cloaks with red clouds, and wide, conical hats that obscured their faces. One of them, a man with spiky orange hair and many piercings spoke, "You all have new orders. We have decided to commence our plans immediately. Sasori and Orochimaru, you will retrieve the Ichibi and the Gobi. Kakuzu and Kaji, you will retrieve the Nibi and the Rokubi. Kisame and Teiji, you will retrieve the Nanabi and the Yonbi. Konan and I will handle the Hachibi and the Kyubi. You have your orders. Now go."

"Hai, Pein-sama." They said in unison. They each vanished, leaving Konan and the orange-haired man alone. '_And so it begins_.' He thought to himself.

**I need you guys to give me feedback on this one. I've tried to improve my writing over the last year, and I'm eager to see people's reactions. **

**If this chapter seems a little generic, rest assured that it is on purpose. I'm trying to be more subtle in my writing, starting things off slowly, taking my time to tell the story, and focusing more on the journey than the destination. Keep in mind that all of the questions this story will raise will be answered in time. I actually have a plan for the plot of this story, instead of just charging in blindly like with my other stories.**

**Don't Fear the Reaper, **

**Kumo no Shinigami**


	2. A Crashed funeral

Chapter Two: A Crashed Funeral

Uchiha Itachi walked through the village, for once unsure of what the day would bring. He was the kind of person who made sure he knew what he wanted to do in a day, sometimes for days in advance. There were things he knew he couldn't plan for, such as missions, but he did his best, and was rarely surprised.

But this business with the Kyubi had thrown him way off. It had been three days since the Kyubi's attack, and the village's shinobi were constantly on the move, whether it was taking extra missions to keep up the village's reputation, or just cleaning up the mess left by the Kyubi. While the demon hadn't actually reached the village, one of its attacks had gone astray, causing a fair bit of destruction.

It was because of this that Itachi was unsure as to why the Hokage had summoned him. '_I just hope it's not another cleanup mission._' He thought to himself. He reached the Hokage tower, and proceeded inside. He made his way up the stairs and to the waiting area outside the Hokage's office.

The secretary gave him a smile, which he returned, and he knocked on the Hokage's door. "It's Itachi." He spoke. After a moment he heard a call of, "Come in!" from the other side. He pushed open the door, closing it behind him.

Sarutobi was sitting at his desk, busy filling out paperwork. Itachi cleared his throat, and the Hokage looked up. "Sir, if you have so much paperwork, why not just have shadow clones do it?" he asked. (1)

Sarutobi chuckled. "I've honestly never thought of that. I always wondered how Minato could have so much free time. Anyways, you're probably wondering why I called you here." Itachi nodded.

Sarutobi held out a white mask. "Welcome to the ANBU." He said with a smile. Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Sir?" he questioned. "As you know, we lost many good shinobi in the Kyubi's attack. Many of them were ANBU. And I couldn't think of anyone more suited to the task I have for you." "What task is that?" Itachi asked. "You'll find out in just a minute." Sarutobi replied.

Just then, they heard a knock on the door. They looked towards it to see Sarutobi's secretary poking her head in. "Uzumaki Kushina is here to see you." she said. Sarutobi smiled. "Excellent. Send her in." The secretary nodded, and Kushina walked in a moment later with Naruto in her arms, greeting Itachi with a smile, and Sarutobi with a glare. "What did you call me for?" she asked. "I had to carry Naruto all over town because I was afraid to leave him alone."

Sarutobi had the decency to look ashamed as Kushina reminded him of his mistake. "That's exactly why I called you here. Kushina, I'd like you to meet our newest ANBU, Uchiha Itachi. He'll be watching over Naruto from now on."

Kushina raised an eyebrow. "This kid's ANBU level?" Sarutobi smiled. "I assure you, your skepticism is entirely unfounded. Itachi is our village's brightest prodigy." Itachi bowed his head in thanks for the praise. Kushina watched Itachi carefully. "Does it have to be an Uchiha? I know how Fugaku feels about my son."

"I do not share my father's admittedly…narrow-minded views. I will guard Naruto with my life, if need be." Itachi spoke. Kushina looked into his eyes, and finding only honesty and conviction, smiled. "Thank you, Itachi. That means a lot."

"Now that that's taken care of, we can move on to other matters." Sarutobi said. "Preparations have been completed for Minato's funeral. The villagers are already gathering." Kushina's face became somber at the mention of her late husband. She nodded. "Then let's go. Is it all right if I leave Naruto here? I don't want to take him near the villagers."

Sarutobi nodded. "That will be no problem. Itachi, this is your first assignment as an ANBU. Make sure Naruto stays safe." Itachi looked hesitant. "Actually, Hokage-sama, I had hoped to be able to attend Yondaime-sama's funeral." Sarutobi smiled. "Very well, I suppose I can't deny you that." He snapped his fingers, and two ANBU appeared seemingly from nowhere. "These two are my personal bodyguards. I trust them with my life. Is this satisfactory, Kushina?" She nodded. "Alright."

Sarutobi smiled. "Excellent." He turned to the two ANBU. "Keep this child safe." He ordered. The two saluted. "Yes sir!" they chorused. Kushina set Naruto down in a crib that Sarutobi had placed in his office for emergencies. She kissed him on the head, and said, "Be good, Naruto-chan. Mommy will be back soon."

Satisfied, Sarutobi, Kushina, and Itachi shunshined away, reappearing in the village cemetery, where most of the village had gathered. Kushina and Itachi took their places amongst the crowd, and Sarutobi stood at the front, at the newly constructed memorial that marked The Yondaime's grave. On a table in front of the memorial were dozens of photos, all of people who had died in the Kyubi's attack.

After a few more minutes, when people had stopped showing up, Sarutobi cleared his throat and began to speak. "We are gathered here today to honor our beloved Yondaime, as well as those who gave their lives to defend our village against the Kyubi." Sarutobi began to speak about each of the people who had died, saying a small bit about each of them and a small prayer before moving on to the next.

Elsewhere

A man stood on top of the Hokage Monument, looking out over Konoha. He wore a large black cloak, and an orange mask in a swirl pattern covered his face except for his right eye, which was red, with the pupil surrounded by three tomoe. His hair was short, black, and spiky.

"Konoha looks the same as it ever did." He said to himself. "Now to find the Kyubi." He closed his eyes and reached out with his senses, searching for the taint of demonic chakra that would lead him to the Kyubi. It took him only a moment to locate the unique chakra emitted by the Kyubi. "The Hokage tower. Well, time to start the fun." There was a distortion in the air, and he vanished.

He reappeared just outside the Hokage's office. The secretary was startled, but quickly regained her composure, being used to ninjas making sudden appearances. "Can I help you?" she asked politely. The man turned to look at her, and she looked into his visible eye, before slumping over her desk, unconscious.

He pulled out two kunai, and burst through the Door to the Hokage's office. Before either ANBU knew what happened, the man had dashed forward, stabbing the kunai into their throats. They collapsed, clutching at their wounds before lying still in a growing puddle of blood.

He walked over to the corner of the room where a small infant lay in a crib. The child looked up at him curiously with bright blue eyes. He scooped up the child in one arm, and smiled down at the child in his arms, though it couldn't be seen. "Smile, kid. You're going to help me make the world a better place." The red-haired boy just blinked up at him.

He formed a hand seal with his free hand, and several clones popped into existence. "You know what to do." He said. The clones nodded and went to complete their tasks. He vanished again, reappearing back on the Hokage monument.

A moment later, his clones dispelled themselves, letting him know that the preparations had been completed. He formed a hand seal, and the chaos began.

At the funeral

"…And finally, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage. Though he was only Hokage for little over a year, his strength, courage, and dedication to Konoha will always be remembered, as will his sacrifice. He-" Sarutobi was cut off by the sound of explosion, and the column of fire that rose into the air from somewhere in the village. Immediately, the air was filled with screams as people ran around frantically.

"We're under attack!"

"The Kyubi's come back to finish us!"

Quickly, Sarutobi dashed off towards the source of the explosion, several others at his heels. Kushina and Itachi caught up with him, keeping pace by his side. "What's going on?" asked Itachi. Sarutobi shook his head. "I don't know!"

As they turned onto Konoha's main street, they froze. All of them stared with wide eyes at the smoking ruins of the Hokage tower. Kushina gasped. "Naruto!" she shouted, running towards the blazing building. "Kushina! Wait!" Sarutobi called after her.

Kushina slowed as she neared the burning ruins, the heat keeping her back. As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, she knew that no one who was in there could have survived the building's collapse. "Naruto….not you too…" she said softly. Her eyes teared up, and she collapsed to her knees as she began to sob.

As Sarutobi caught up to Kushina, he looked at her sadly, knowing that there was nothing he could do to console her. All around, the village was in a flurry of action. Squads of ANBU had begun to put out the flames with suiton and doton jutsus. People were still running through the streets, and amidst all the chaos, Sarutobi could only think to himself, 'Who could have done this?'

Suddenly overcome with a feeling of being watched, Sarutobi's gaze snapped up to the Hokage monument. There was no one there.

**(1) Obligatory cliché time!**

**Second chapter done. Yay. Remember people, more reviews equals more updates.**

**Don't Fear the Reaper, **

**Kumo no Shinigami **


	3. As One

Chapter 3: As One

"Kushina, will you please listen to reason?" Sarutobi pleaded.

Kushina glared. "You're not going to convince me, so just give up already!" she yelled.

Sarutobi gave an exasperated sigh. It was two days after the funeral, and Kushina was currently packing her bags, while Sarutobi desperately tried to convince her to stay. "Kushina, the village is already weakened; it can't take another loss like this! If our enemies start to think that we are weak, they will surely take this opportunity to strike."

"You think I give a damn!?" Kushina shouted.

Sarutobi was taken aback. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Kushina growled. "Why the hell should I stick around for these bastards? Most of them cheered when they found out Naruto was killed in the explosion!"

Sarutobi gave Kushina a stern look. "You are still one of _my_ ninja. I can't just let you walk out of here."

"Don't you dare play that card with me!" Kushina shouted. "You can't stop me." She said dangerously. She sealed the last of her bags in a scroll, and with one hand, tore her hitai-ate off her forehead. She tossed it at Sarutobi's feet. "Consider this my resignation." She spat. She started to walk out the door, but paused and looked back. "And if you send anyone after me, I'll send them right back. One piece at a time." With that, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

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Pein walked down the stairs of his tower, his thoughts busy. He had just received word that the final jinchuriki had been captured. It was surprising how quickly and easily they had collected them all. The Ichibi had been easiest to capture. It had just been sitting around in a dusty old room, sealed in a teakettle. It was a simple matter for Sasori to sneak in and steal it.

The Nanabi's jinchuriki was a small child, only about eight, who had endured constant abuse from her village. She had gone with Teiji willingly when he told her he wanted to take her someplace nicer, though she was a bit hesitant. When they were out of the village, he subdued her with a genjutsu, and used the reverse summoning seal that Pein had applied to all members to transport them back to their meeting location.

The other jinchuriki, however, had all put up a decent fight before being captured. Aside from the Nibi's jinchuriki, who was a rather inexperienced teenage girl, they had all managed to give the Akatsuki members some trouble. The Hachibi had actually given Pein a hard time, forcing him to use all six of his Paths. In the end, it was only his Preta path's chakra absorption that had let him win.

Pein opened a door, leading into a large room with a high ceiling. At one wall was the Gedo Mazo, the statue that Akatsuki sealed the Bijuu into. He took his place on one of the statues fingers, and addressed the gathered members. "Now that you have all captured your assigned Bijuu, we can begin the sealing process. We will begin sealing the Ichibi immediately, and if necessary, we will take a break between each sealing to regain our strength. Begin the jutsu."

Each of them formed a seal with their hands, and the statue's mouth opened, nine ephemeral dragons issuing forth and enveloping the teakettle that was the Ichibi's prison. Immediately, light brown chakra began to stream from the kettle into the statues mouth, bathing the dimly lit room in its glow.

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Sarutobi sighed in frustration for what felt like the thousandth time. It had been a day since Kushina left, and due to his office being incinerated, Sarutobi was temporarily working out of a room in the Academy. The reason for his frustration was the even larger than usual amounts of paperwork that had been dumped on his desk since the incident. Even with several Kage Bunshin helping out the workload was massive. '_First the Kyubi, now this crap. Minato just had to go and sacrifice himself for the good of the village and force me out of retirement, didn't he?_' Sarutobi thought to himself.

A knock at the door made him look up. This time his sigh was one of relief. At the door was a tall man with spiky waist-length with hair tied back into a ponytail, with two shoulder-length bangs framing his face. He had red lines that ran down from his eyes, and wore a horned hitai-ate engraved with the kanji for 'Oil'. "Jiraiya. You got here quicker than I expected." Sarutobi said.

"Your message said it was urgent. And with all that's been going on, I didn't doubt it." Jiraiya replied with his arms crossed.

Sarutobi nodded absently. "You heard about the Kyubi's attack, then?" he asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "That and more. The other nations are in a panic. Jinchuriki have been kidnapped from all over, and each village reported the same thing: black cloaks with red clouds."

Sarutobi's eyes widened. "You don't think-"

"That the attack at the funeral was just a cover for the Kyubi jinchuriki's kidnapping? Yes, I do." Jiraiya interrupted. "I think that was their goal all along. For whatever reason, these people want the Bijuu, and now they have them all."

Sarutobi paled. "Jiraiya, send a message out to the other great nations, as well as Takigakure. If this group possesses all nine Bijuu, we'll need their cooperation."

Jiraiya nodded and left to carry out Sarutobi's orders. The aged Hokage sighed once more. 'I need a drink.'

Three days later

After receiving the Hokage's message, the other four Kage and the leader of Takigakure had agreed to meet in Tetsu no Kuni, a neutral country of samurai. They were currently gathered in a secluded room, seated around a table. With everyone present, Sarutobi stood and cleared his throat. "As you know, we are here to discuss the recent kidnapping of jinchuriki."

"Whoever is responsible for this, they must be found and stopped immediately!" declared Onoki, the aging Tsuchikage. He was a man of short stature, with a bulbous red nose, and what little of his hair remained was drawn up into a topknot.

"But that's just the problem; we have no idea who did this, or what their motives are." Replied the newly-elected Godaime Mizukage, Terumi Mei. She was a good-looking woman with long auburn hair that fell down to her knees, and she wore a blue dress-like garment that accentuated her figure, as well as provided a free range of movement. She was also the youngest of the Kage, being only twenty-two, but her strength was already known throughout the continent. She had only recently been selected, since the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, was one of the jinchuriki who had been kidnapped.

"I believe my student Jiraiya can shed some light on the subject." Sarutobi stated. He beckoned Jiraiya, who was standing behind him, forward. Jiraiya nodded and began to speak. "From what my intelligence network has gathered, we seem to be dealing with an organization called Akatsuki, whose uniform consists of black cloaks with red clouds. We only know of two members, Orochimaru and Kakuzu of the Black Threads, but we can assume that they are all highly dangerous nukenin, most likely all possessing unique abilities."

Denpa, the leader of Takigakure, chuckled. "So, Kakuzu is still alive. That'd make him, what, about eighty? Not a man I would want to face alone. Can't say it makes sense though, him joining up with a group like Akatsuki.""

"Do we have any indication of their plans?" the Kazekage, Kouzen asked. He was a man of medium height, with short brown hair and dark eyes. On his back was a pouch, which contained his primary weapon, the gold dust that he was able to manipulate with the aid of his special magnetic chakra.

Jiraiya nodded. "I believe so. You are all aware of the Rikudo Sennin, correct?" They all gave a general mumble of confirmation, and Jiraiya continued. "According to the stories, the nine Bijuu were originally one: The Jubi, a beast whose strength was said to be infinite. The Rikudo Sennin somehow managed to defeat it, and sealed it into himself. But even then the Jubi was not truly defeated. The Rikudo Sennin knew that when he died, the Jubi would be released back into the world, and so using the powers of his Doujutsu, the fabled Rinnegan, he split the Jubi into nine separate beings, and created the moon as the prison for the Jubi's physical body."

"What does any of this have to do with Akatsuki?" asked the Raikage, A impatiently. He was a man who gave off an air of informality, and yet had a presence that demanded respect from those around him. There was a strange sense of urgency to his words, as if he was desperate to act.

Jiraiya looked around the room at each person, his face serious. "I believe that Akatsuki plans to recreate the Jubi."

The room was overtaken by a stunned silence. "Then like I said, we have to find and stop them at once!" Onoki shouted. Jiraiya nodded. "My scouts have reported massive bursts of chakra and youki coming from a location in Kawa no Kuni. I believe that is where Akatsuki is."

Sarutobi stood, focusing attention on him. "I propose a temporary alliance between our villages until the threat of Akatsuki is dealt with."

Kouzen stood. "I support this alliance."

Mei stood. "Kiri will assist in taking down the Akatsuki."

Denpa stood. "My village will provide as much assistance as we are able."

A stood. "If it'll help crush those bastards, I'm in."

All eyes fell on Onoki, who was deep in thought. Slowly, he stood. "Very well. If it means the destruction of Akatsuki, then Iwa will lend our assistance. But this alliance is strictly temporary."

Sarutobi nodded, smiling at them all. "Then let us waste no time! We must meet this threat as soon as possible." The others all nodded their agreement.

An hour later they had decided that the best ones to combat the Akatsuki would be the Kage themselves. Ironically, the ideal shinobi to send on such a mission would be the jinchuriki.

After a few more preparations, the Kage, and Denpa set out for Kawa no Kuni, running as fast as their legs could take them.

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The Akatsuki members had just finished sealing the Hachibi, when a strange figure rose out of the ground near Pein. He was an odd-looking man, his upper half encased in what appeared to be a large Venus Fly Trap. His skin tone was even stranger. One half of him was as white as snow, the other as black as pitch. The two sides were split straight down the middle. Even his eyes were different. The white side had a normal eye, but the one on the black side was perfectly round, completely yellow, and unblinking. Topping off the man's strange look was a mop of green hair.

Pein greeted the stranger with a nod. "Zetsu. Something to report?" The man known as Zetsu nodded. "Hai, **Pein-sama.**" Even the man's speech was split. The white side had a more relaxed and gentle voice, but the black half sounded cold and robotic. "**It seems the Kage have **formed some sort of **alliance. **They** are currently heading **this way**, and will arrive in **about an hour."

Pein nodded. "That is long enough to complete the sealing and evacuate. They will pose no threat to us. Proceed with sealing the Kyubi." Konan brought the small child forward, and set him in the center of the sealing area. The nine began their sealing once more, and the child's cries began to ring throughout the cavern.

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The Kages surveyed the area from their position on top of a hill.

"Are we close?" the Mizukage asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "The hideout is about two miles north. We should be there in about twenty minutes."

The Kages nodded, and the group continued onward.

'_I just hope we aren't too late._' Jiraiya thought to himself.

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The cavernous room dimmed as the last of the Kyubi's red chakra was drawn out of the squalling infant. The nine were surprised, however, when instead of falling silent, the wailing intensified.

"How is this possible?" Kakuzu asked. "The child should be dead."

Pein stepped forward, bending over to pick the boy up. He examined him closely, his eyes slowly widening. "This kind of vitality in an infant…and that red hair…this child could only be an Uzumaki, but I thought they were all gone…" he said, his voice filled with a mix of uncertainty and wonder.

"What will you do with him?" Konan asked.

Pein shook his head slightly. "I…I am not sure. This was completely unexpected. For now, we will wait and see what happens." A moment later, a man with long orange hair and piercings similar to Pein's appeared in a puff of smoke, holding a bundle of blankets and a small basket. He handed them to Pein and vanished without a word.

Pein wrapped the child in the blankets and put him in the basket, setting him off to the side. He returned his attention to the group. "Now that we have successfully sealed all nine Bijuu, we can begin to implement our-"

Pein was interrupted by the start of a large tremor, which shook the entire cavern. The shaking soon intensified, and soon rocks began to dislodge from the ceiling, raining down on the Akatsuki members.

The nine could feel an incredible presence building energy, and they heard a sharp crack. Pein turned around, and his worst fears were confirmed. The Gedo Mazo had a large fissure running straight down the middle, splitting the tenth eye in two, and the crack was oozing black chakra at an incredible rate.

'_The Jubi is breaking free_!' Pein thought in terror. '_This power is incredible! I've never felt anything like this in my life!_' Snapping abruptly back to his senses, Pein shouted, "The Jubi is breaking free! Evacuate immediately!"

The Akatsuki members immediately vanished, except for Konan, who quickly ran over to Pein. "What about the child?" she asked.

Pein looked over to where the child was laying. He was about to make his way over there when the Gedo Mazo exploded violently, a gargantuan mass of black Chakra shooting upwards and destroying the ceiling of the cavern, exposing the night sky. Pein cursed and grabbed Konan, and the two of them vanished. The debris from the explosion, instead of falling down into the cavern, was forced up and away by the shockwave.

The black chakra of the Jubi began to take on a vague shape, and the incorporeal form let loose a massive roar of rage and pain. Without a physical body to tether it to this world, it could feel its essence slipping away, an agonizing sensation. Its mind clouded, it desperately searched for a suitable vessel. Its senses quickly registered the presence of a small infant inside the cavern, wailing loudly.

With almost panicked haste, the mass of chakra began to funnel down into the cavern, where it began to swirl around the boy. The chakra spiraled around the child, almost like a whirlpool, and began to enter the child's body through his navel. The child's cries of fear soon turned to cries of pain, which continued for several minutes before the cavern fell silent.

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The Kages were rapidly approaching the location of Akatsuki's hideout, when suddenly a massive explosion shook the ground. The group had a good view as the ground seemingly erupted a few hundred feet away. Chunks of rock the size of houses rained down around the countryside as a huge mass of black chakra rose into the air before letting loose a deafening roar and quickly shooting back down towards the ground.

The Kages paled.

"Was that…" Onoki trailed off in the middle of his sentence.

Jiraiya grimaced. "The Jubi." He said, confirming everyone's worst fears.

Suddenly, the massive presence of the Jubi began to lessen, before vanishing a few minutes later. "We have to get over there." Sarutobi said urgently. The group proceeded cautiously forward.

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Down in the ruined cavern, all was still. Suddenly, a mysterious figure appeared without a sound. He surveyed the scene before him, before walking over to the still crying infant. "So," he said to himself, "It's him, then. This should be…interesting." He looked over to where the corpses of the jinchuriki had been tossed, thrown away as if they were little more than trash. His anger began to rise, but he quickly suppressed it. He had a job to do.

The stranger performed a short series of hand seals, and a strange statue shot out of the ground behind him. Its mouth stretched wide open, and a strange green energy began to stream out, before surrounding the jinchuriki. "Gedo: Rinne Tensei no jutsu." the man uttered. After a moment, the glow ceased, and the man took a deep breath. The jinchuriki all drew in sharp gasps of air, coughing several times to clear the dust from their lungs.

Hearing the rapid approach of footsteps, the man decided it was time to depart. He tossed one last look back to the infant. "Uzumaki Naruto...we'll meet again." The man vanished without a trace, just as the Kage and Denpa entered the cavern.

As the group finally reached their destination, they were surprised at the sight that greeted them. Instead of the Jubi's black chakra, or the Akatsuki, they instead found the jinchuriki just beginning to stir, several of them already climbing to their feet.

The first one to stand was a dark-skinned man with a Kumo hitai-ate, who wore a white one-strapped jounin vest and a long scarf. A rushed forward, enveloping the man in a bone-crushing hug. The man grunted at the force of the embrace. "Easy, bro. I'm feelin' sore all over." The jinchuriki said. A looked down at the shorter man. "You scared me, B. I thought for sure I'd lost you." The man called B grinned. "Shit, man, you know I'm tougher than that." He held his fist out to his brother. A grinned back. "Damn right." The two bumped fists.

While the other Kages were attending to the newly revived jinchuriki, Sarutobi and Jiraiya examined Naruto, who by now had stopped crying. Sarutobi thanked every deity he knew of for Naruto's safety, even if he had no idea what had happened. He turned back to the others, while Jiraiya stayed behind with Naruto.

"I need to see your seal, B." A said to his brother.

B's face became serious. "Bro, the seal ain't there. They ripped Gyuki right out of me, and they did the same to the others. I don't even know why I'm alive right now." He indicated to his right shoulder, which bore the kanji for 'iron', although the ink was now dull and faded, instead of the bright blue it had once been.

Everybody's eyes widened. "How is that possible? Everyone knows that extracting a jinchuriki's Bijuu kills the host!" Kouzen exclaimed.

"We did die." replied a young man with dark hair in a blue kimono. "I remember it clearly. The agony of having my Bijuu ripped apart from my soul and then…just blackness. I felt completely numb." The other jinchuriki nodded in agreement. "And then I started to feel warm, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up." Again the jinchuriki nodded their agreement. The man placed a hand on his stomach. "It feels…strange, as if a part of me has gone missing."

"But that doesn't explain where the Jubi vanished to." Onoki said. "Something like that doesn't just disappear."

"I think I know." Jiraiya said quietly. "Sensei…his eyes…" Jiraiya handed Naruto over to Sarutobi. As Naruto stared innocently up at him, Sarutobi's mind froze in shock. Naruto's eyes were completely white, aside from six concentric rings around his pupil. There were three evenly spaced tomoe on each of the first three rings. "Sensei…those are the eyes of the Jubi."

Sarutobi looked up, his mind still reeling. "Are you saying that-"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. Naruto is now the jinchuriki of the Jubi."

There were several gasps, mostly from the jinchuriki. Sarutobi sighed. "We should get back to Konoha." Sarutobi and Jiraiya began to walk away.

"Wait a minute!" Sarutobi turned to see Onoki glaring at him. "Why should Konoha be in control of that kind of power?"

Sarutobi sighed. "Naruto belongs in Konoha." He replied. "I'm not going to argue about this, and I'm not going to discuss it. Jiraiya, get us out of here."

Jiraiya nodded and slammed his hands down on the ground. A small toad appeared in front of him. "What do you need?" the toad asked.

"Take us to Konoha." Jiraiya replied. The toad nodded.

Onoki glared at them. "I won't forget this, Sarutobi."

Sarutobi stared back, unflinching. "I don't expect you to."

Sarutobi and Jiraiya vanished in a puff of smoke.

Finished! I know the whole 'Naruto being the Jubi's jinchuriki' thing has been done before, usually with minimal success, but please don't disregard this story just because of that. I've got some really great plans for this story, and I'd hate to have no one want to read it!

**For those of you wondering about Naruto's eyes, that will be explained next chapter, and there will probably be a short time skip. The 'mysterious man' who revived the jinchuriki will also be revealed later in the story. **

**TTFN, everybody.**

**Don't Fear the Reaper,**

**Kumo no Shinigami**


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